Decision on £30m Motel One plans delayed
PLANS to introduce a new £30m German “boutique” budget hotel on London Road in Manchester have been delayed, with the city council’s planning committee deciding to pay a visit to the site before deciding on whether to approve the scheme.
An application by the Motel One chain to build its second UK hotel in Manchester on a site between Britannia Hotels’ London Road Fire Station and Carlyle Group’s Piccadilly Place development was recommended for approval by planning officers at a planning committee meeting for June 28. However, a decision on whether to approve the scheme will now take place at a future meeting.
The scheme, which has been designed by Hodder + Partners, will see a part 14-storey and part seven-storey L-shaped building being developed on a site that currently contains five buildings which wrap around Monroe’s pub.
The 330-bed hotel would be built once all five existing buildings, including the Hotel International and the basement-level Legends nightclub, are demolished.
The plans have faced opposition from campaigners as Legends is the site of the former Twisted Wheel nightclub that was the birthplace for the Northern Soul movement.
Campaigners argued that the club, which hosted live shows from black artists such as Ben E King and Ike and Tina Turner before it closed, already attracts visitors from around the UK and should be preserved.
They also argued that other suitable brownfield sites are available nearby.
Retention of the cellars was discussed with the site’s owner, Olympian Group, which bought the properties from administrators following the collapse of the Targetfollow Group. However, this would have restricted the scale of the building to the extent where the proposed hotel would not be practical.
English Heritage has also argued that the proposed hotel “will cause substantial harm to the setting” of the Grade II*-listed Fire Station, while local residents have complained that it could block sunlight and cause access problems. In total, some 113 complaints have been received against the development.
Despite this, council officers have recommended that the scheme is approved.
“Whilst there is some activity within the buildings, their overall appearance at this key gateway site is not consistent with improvements that have been achieved elsewhere within the immediate and wider area,” the report to the planning committee states.
It also states that the hotel would secure £25-£30m of direct investment in the local economy and create new jobs, as well as improving perceptions of the city by “providing a well-designed building opposite a principal entrance to the Piccadilly Station.”
